Folding machine and method



Feb. 24, 1925.

1,527,395 A. -R. RIDDERSTROM FOLDING MACHINE AND METHOD v Filed Jan. 21,1920 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. R. RIDDERSTROM FOLDING MACHINE AND METHOD Feb.24, 1925.

8 Sheets-Sheet 2 A o Illllfllffl/Illlllflllfl Fileq Jan. 21, 192

A. R. RIDDERSTROM FOLDING MACHINE AND METHOD Feb. 24, 1925.

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A. R. RIDDERSTROM FOLDING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed Jan. 21, 1920 aSheets-Sheet 4 J72U277Z07-1- Feb. 24, 1925.

A. R. RIDDERSYTROM FOLDING MACHINE AND METHOD 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledJan. 21,

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Feb.24, 1925. 1,527,395

' I A. R. RIDDERSTROM FOLDING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed Jan. 21, 1920 sSheets-Sheet 6 A. R. RIDDERSTROM FOLDING MACHINE AND METHOD Feb. 24,1925. 1,527,395

Filed Jan 21, 1920 8 Sheets-Sheet 2I- l0 g :i /0

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A. R. RIDDERSTROM FOLDING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed Jan. 21, 1920 8Sheets- Sheet 8 fiefww 7 1 J0", 1 2 21. J6. 12;. 41 i I72 v @2207":-

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UNITED STATES PATENT oer-"ice.

ANDREW R. mnnnnsrnom, or NAI ANT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE.ASSIGNMENTS, "IO BEACON FOLDING MACHINE ooMrANY, or LYNN, MASSACHU-SETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

, roLnINe MACHINE AND m-nTi-ron.

Application filed January 21, 1920. Serial No. 352,987.

To all whom it mag/concern: a

Be it known that I, ANDREW ROBERT RID- n'nRsTRoM, a citizen of theUnited States, and resident of Nahant, in the county of 5 Essex andState of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement inFo1ding Machines and Methods, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to methods of and machines for operatingupon flexible material, and more particularly to methods of and machinesfor folding the edges or margins of shoe uppers, such as Vamps and tips.

In order to obtain a' smooth edge fold, it is customary to snip theconcave edges of the vamp or other upper preparatory to the foldingoperation, leaving the straight and convex edges unsnipped. The snips,moreover, should be of progressively increasing and decreasing lengtharound the curve, so as to provide for a uniform fold throughout and toprevent the crimping or puckering which is usually found at the pointsWhere the 'snipping begins and ends when the snips are all of the samelength. As folding machines, especially those of the short-feed type,operated at very highspeed, it is desirable that all the high speed-1parts, including lthe snippmg cutter, operate continuously. The abovedemands upon machines are very heavy, so that the gnac'hines hithertoproposed alleged to be capable of fulfilling these requirements havebeen clumsy and complex .in structure, expensive to build-and far fromsatisfactory in operation.

An object of he present lnventlon, accordingly, is to provide a new andimproved machine of the above-designated character which shall be simpleto construct, cheap to manufacture, more efficient in operation and moredurable.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofoperating upon'fiexible material, like shoe uppers.

\Vith 'these ends in view, a feature of the invention'residesinproviding for advancing or feeding the straight and convex edges of ashoe upper at one side of a contmuously operating cutter to a foldpresser which presses them, downto form folds, and progressively movingthe concave edges of the upper into the path of the cutter so as toeffect snipsof progressively var ing length therein before they are fedto the fold presser.

One of the most difficult operations connected with the use of foldingmachines is that of gaging the work as it is fed to the cutting andfolding instrumentalities This isbecause the same gage must necessarilybe employed irrespective of the edge contour of the work. If the gageisproperly adjusted for straight edgeportions, for example, as

it usually is, thei'operator must crowd the work against the gage bymain force when a concavely curved portion of the work is en'-count-ered. If he crowds too'hard or too lightly, the resulting foldwill not be of the same dimensions as those on other portions ofthe workAnother object of the invention is to protion of which is effective togage the concave edges, which it is desired to snip. The

necessity for crowding the work against the gage is thereby obviated.

The feeding means should, of course, re-

main idle-during the fold pressing operation and the fold presser shouldbe ineffective ,during the feeding operation. The feeding means,furthermore, should continue to grip the work until after thefoldpresser has secured a fim grip thereon. The desired timing ofthevarious operations has hitherto been approximately attained by the useof cams and springs. As cam-and-spring-controlled parts cannot operateefficiently at the high speed in the desired time relation.

To the attainment of this end, a feature of the invention contemplatesoperating the feed elements from a block constrained to move in adiagonal path.

It has hitherto been customary to provide the fold presser with a Hatface which pressed down upon the work throughout its surface at one andthe same time, producing. upon occasion, a wrinkled fold parts of whichwere not so well pressed as others.

It is, therefore, still another object of the invention to provide animproved fold presser for a folding machine, which shall operate topress the folds progressively from the edge of the fold inwardly.

To the accomplishment of this result, a feature of the invention residesin a .curvilinearly faced hammer which is adapted initially to pinch thevery edge of the fold and then to roll over upon the fold, ir'oning itout smoothly. i

In a copending application by Brostrom and Ridderstro'm, Serial No.201,564, filed November 12, 1917, there is disclosed a folding plow thatmoves with the feed elements and that operates to impart an initial foldto the edge of the stock during the rearward movement and a final foldduring the forward movement which is later pressed down. It is foundthat the friction of the plo'w upon the stock in forming the initialfold during the rearward movement has a tendency to cause a wrinkling ofthe stock which produces an uneven edge fold.

It is accordingly a further obje'xt of the invention to improve upon theplow ot' the above-mentioned application,

To this end, a feature of the invention contemplates a plow whichcompletely releases the work during its rearward movement, thuseliminating the source of wrinkling arising from the friction of theplow upon the work v It'is an object of the invention, also, to providean improved retainer and connecting mechanism therefor for operating itin timed relation to the other operating parts.

Another object is to provide for removably mounting the foldingmechanism in its frame so that it may readily be removed and remountedin another frame that is provided, or not provided, with a cutter, asmay be desired.

lVith these and other objects in view, as

will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the descriptionproceeds, the invention consists of the improved folding machinehereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, anddefined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a machineconstructed according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention; Fig. 2 is a central, longitu-. dinal, sectional View thereof;Fig. 3 is a plan view, with parts broken away, to show the interiorconstruction; Fig. 4: is an end elevation, with a portion broken away;Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view, taken upon the line 55 of Fig. 9;Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an improved plow; Fig. 7 is a verticalsectional view, taken upon the line 77 of Fig. 9; Fig. 8 is a sectionalview, taken substantially upon the line 88 of Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is a viewin elevation, partly in section, of various operating instrumentalities;Figs. 10, 11, 12 are sectional views taken substantially upon the lines1010, 11-11, and 1212, respectively, of Fig. 9; Figs. 13 and 14 aredetail views of a portion of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 9,showing the parts in successively assumed positions; Fig. 15 isafragmentary plan view, partly in section, of the gaging, snipping,feeding and folding instrumentalities; Fig. 1G is an elevational view ofthe same, partly in section;

v Fig. 17 is a vertical sectional view 0 t. the same.

taken substantially upon the line 1717 of Fig. 10; Fig. 18 is asimilarvertical sectional View, taken substantially upon the line 1818of Fig. 15; Figs. 19, 20 and 21 are views similar to Figs. 15,16 and 17,respectively, illustrating the operation upon the concave edge of 'apiece of stock; Fig.

is a diagrammatic view illustrative of the method of the presentinvention; Fig. 23 is a. fragmentary view of a folded upper; Fig. 24 isan elevational view, partly in section, showing the relative positionsassumed by the feed point, the plow, the fold presscr and the retainerat the commencement of the feeding operation; Fig. 25 is a similar viewin vertical section. taken substantially upon the line 171'iof Fig. 15;Fig. 26 is a diagrammatic view of the diagonal block and its ope 'atingeccentric in their relative positions corresponding to the showing ofFigs. 24. and 25'; Figs. 27, 28 and 29 are views similar to Figs. 24, 25and 26, respectively, illustrating the parts, in their relativepositions after the eccentric has been rotated through an angle of sixtydegrees; and Figs. 30 to 41 inclusive are similar views, showing theparts in various other successively assumed posititms. tional vi'ewsarein all cases taken looking in the direction of the arrows.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred form as applied to afolding machine The sec- 7 luo of .shoe uppers,

for foldin over the edgxes sheet of flexible such as slioe Vamps.

material, like the shoe upper 2, Fig. 17 is presser (Fig. 18), whichpresses down a continually operating snipping cutter.

= described above.

fold 12 in the edge of the upper. The terms fold presser and folder willhereinafter be employed interchangeably.

' In order that the concave edges of the upper, like the edge 14 of Fig.19, may fold as smoothly and uniformly as the straight and the convexedges, it is customary to ship the concave edges before folding. It hasbeen found that snips of uniform length are objectionable because thefold bunches and Wrinkles at the points where thesnipping commences andends. In order to obtain the best results,"therefore, the snips shouldvary progressively along the eurve being at first very short at thebeginning of the concave edge, shown at 16, Fig. 23, increasing to amaximum at about the centre 18 'of the curve, and then decreasing untilthe end 20 of the curve is reached, where they become very short again.y

The desired result is attained, according to the present invention, bymoving the concave edge-of the vamp or other upper progressively intoand out of the path ofha T e snips thus vary progressively in the mannerIn the specific embodiment of the invention which is herein illustratedand described, the straight and the convex edges of the vamp areadvanced to the fold presser 10 along a straight line path, indicated inFigs. 15 and 22 by the numeral 22. This line is the same as the line ofthe fold when the edge is straight. \Vhile it is so advanced, the edgeis bent out of the plane of the vamp, as shown at 24, Figs. 16 and 22,by a stationary projection 26,-into the vertical plane through thestraight-line path 22. The concave edges, however, are advanced alongpaths converging to the fold presser from points to the'right ofthe edge24, as diagrammatically shown in Fig. 22. Two of these paths are shownat 23 and 25. To the attainment of this end, the plane of the vamp israised, so that the concave edge portions are permitted to ride over theprojection 26, as shown in Fig. 20, into the path of the abovereferred-t0, continually operating, snipping cutter, shown at 28. Thecutter 28 operates at very high speed, though preferably geared tooperate at half thespeed of the feed mechanism". The projection 26happens to be shown as a shoulder upon a stationary cutter 30 (Fig. '16)for cooperating with the cutter 28 to snip the edge of the vamp before-it is advanced to be folded. The

length of the ship will obviously depend upon' the amount by which thevamp edge rides over the stationary knife 30, into the path of the knife28, so that snips of progressively varying length may be obtained bypermitting the bent edge 24 to rideprogressively over the stationaryknife as the upper is advanced to the fold. presser. The preferredinstrumentalities for bringing this about will now be described.

The platform or support 8 normally occupies the position indicated inFigs. 2 and 16. When the support occupies this position, the vamp may beadvanced by the feed block 4 and the feed point 6, with the bent edge 24(Fig. 16) in contact with the projection 26,as above described, alongthe path 22 (Figs. 15 and 22). The upper Is furthermore prevented fromintersecting the path'of the cutter 28 (Fig. 16) by a gage 32, whichalso determines the dimensions of the bent-over edge 24. The support 8(Fig. 2) with the below-described mechanism carried thereby, ispivotally mounted in the carries a pin 40 adapted to lie in an openslot42 providedat one end of a bell-crank lever 44 that is pivoted to theframe 34 at 46. The bell-crank lever 44 is adapted to be pivotallyactuated by a treadle (not shown) through a treadle link 48 connected tothe other end 50 of the bell-crank lever. The bell-crank lever isnormally maintained in the illustrated position, Fig. 2, by acompression spring 52 surrounding 'a rod 54, one end of which ispivotally mounted at 56 Fig. 4) in an abutment upon the frame of t emachine and the other end of which is loosely secured to the bell-cranklever,

as shown. The compression spring 52 is confined between a pin 58 mountedthrough the rod 54 in a recess-of the bell-crank lever, as shown, and apivot collar 59 at the other end of the rod. \Vhen a concave edge 14(Fig. 19). of the vamp is reached, the treadle will be depressed by theoperator, actuating the bell-crank lever about its pivotal point 46,(Fig. 2) the wall of the slot 42 acting as a cam upon the pin 40 to tiltthe support 8 upwardly about the pivotal bolts 36. The support 8 willthus be moved upwardly from the position shown in Fig- 16, to a degreedependent upon the degree of depression of the treadle, into a positionillustrated in Fig. 20. The bent edge 24 (Fig. 16) of the vamp will thusbe freed from the constraining influence of the projection 26, and

will by its own flexibility ride over this projection on to thestationary cutter 30.

The edge 24 will then intersect the path of the moving cutter 28 andwill be snipped by the cooperative action of the cutters 28 and 30. Thelength of the snip will depend upon the amount by which the edge 24rides over the shoulder 26 upon the stationary cutter 30, this willdepend upon the height to which the support 8 is lifted and this, inturn, upon the degree of depression of the ti'eadle. By progressivelydepressing and then progressively releasing the treadle, therefore, theoperator may effect snips of progressively increasing and thenprogressively decreasing length in the edge of the vamp as the vamp isfed forward to the fold presser along a concave edge.

The .gage 32 is provided with a slot 62 (Fig. by means of which it maybe adjustably secured to the support 8 through the action of a clampscrew 64. The gage is so adjusted in practice as to provide for abentover edge 24 (Fig. 16) of dimensions just suilicient to yield afoldof the desired width. \Vith the gage so adjusted, straight .portions ofthe work may be guided without ditficulty by the operator past the gageto the feeding instrui'nentalities. \Vhen a concave edge is reached,however, the operator must crowd the edge against the gage, otherwise hewill find that the concave fold will be of smaller width than the foldalong the straight and the convex edges.

Because of the fact that the ordinary gage, when satisfactory forstraight portions of the work, is unsatisfactory for curved portions,

a great deal of stock is destroyed with present machines during theprocess of teaching nexperienced operators how to crowd the workproperly against the gage,

vex edges are gaged, and the lower parts.

70 when the table is lifted for operation upon concave edges (Fig. 20).This results in providing for larger distances between the point wherethe vamp is gripped by the feeding instrumentalitics and the effectiveportion of the gage when the table is lifted, so that it becomesunnecessary to crowd the work against the gage, as would be the case ifthe portion of the gage remained effective throughout. gage is effectivedepends upon the amount by which the edge 24 is permitted to ride overthe projection 26 on to the stationary cutter 30. Were it not for theprojection or shoulder 26, the lower-portion of the gage lVhich portionof the would be always effective. The angle of inclination of the gageand its shape may be so designed that simultaneously with theprogressive snipping operation upon concave edge portions of the work,these edge portions will be progressively differently gaged. Theoperation of guiding concave edge portions may thus be rendered assimple as that of guiding other portions of the vamp. The provision ofan automatically variable gage in a folding machine is considered to bea very important feature of the present invention.

It will be obvious that to secure the most efiicient operation, thefeeding-mechanism should remain idle while the fold presser is pressingdown the fold, the fold presser should be ineffective during the forwardfeeding of the work, and the feeding mechanism should continue itscontrol over the work until after the fold presser has operated to clampthe work to the support. If the feed mechanism continued to advance thestock after the fold presser had commenced to press down the fold, forexample, the resulting fold would become very undesirably wrinkled. Themechanism by which tllBdESll'Bd timing of the operating parts isattained will now be described. The lower feed block 4 is rigidlysecured by a screw or similar inemher 74 (Figs. 2 and 5) to a rockingsupport 7 (i. The rocking support is pivotally mounted upon the support8 about a pivotal rod 78, secured to the frame of the machine by a screw80.

(Fig. 2). The rocking support 76 is provided with a diagonallydisposed'cylindrical opening 86 (Fi s. 2 and 11) within which is mountedtoslide a diagonally cylindrical block 88, the upper flat face of whichis substa-ntiall horizontal, as shown at 90. The angle 0 preferably inthe neighborhood. of thirty degrees. The cylindrical block 88- isadapted to be actuated by an eccentric 92 of a driving shaft 94 that ishorizontally jonrnaled in hearings in the. support 8. The eccentric isrotatably mounted in the block 88 and extends through an opening 96 ofthe rocking support-7t). Rotative movement of the shaft 94 will thus beconverted by the eccentric into'comhined sliding and oscillating orrotative movement of the block 88, and this, in turn, will effect arocking movement of the rocking support about the rod 78.

The feed point 6 is pivotally mounted at 98 upon the rocking support 76so as to be rocked therewith and with the lower feed block 4, and isnormally maintained in contact with the feed block by a leaf spring 100,one end 102 of which is secured to the inclination of the opening 86 isshown in Figs. 2, 11 and 21 and a screw post 110 (Fig. 11) is adjustablyclamped between the sides of the slot. The end 104 (Fig. 2) of thespring bears upon the screw -post .110to cause the feed point to engagethe stock with varying pressure dependent upon the degree of adJustmentof the screw post. The'upper face 90 of the block 88 is adapted toengage the post 110, thereby to raise the feed point 6 in opposition tothepressure of the spring 100.. -The tension of the spring 100 maybeadjusted by a clamp screw 112 (Fig. 7) having a shoulder 114 forengaging the spring. In order to prevent lateral movementof the spring,it is mounted in a longitudinal slot 116 provided in the upper surfaceof the support 8.

' block 88,. which then occupies its upper positions. During theright-to-eft movement, the block 88 will lie in the lower portions ofthe cylindrical opening 86, and the feed point will be spring pressedinto engage ment'with the feed block, which will thus advance to thefold presser the vamp or other shoe upper gripped therebetween.

The fold presser 10 is floatingly pivoted at 118. (Figs. 9 and 18) toalink 120 the other end of which is eccentrically connected by a pin122(Figs. 9 and 10) to a spiral gear 121 meshing with a spiral gear 126upon the shaft 94. The fold Presser and the feeding instrumentalitiesare thus operated from the same shaft 94. The exterior sur face of'thefold presser is cylindrical, as shown at 128 (Fig. 18), so as to rockwithin a cylindrical bearing 130 provided at the free end of an arm 132the other'end of which is, pivoted at 134. By means of thisdouble-"pivoted, floating mounting of the fold presser at 118 and 134(Fig. 18 its working face 136 may be raised from, or lowered towards thesupport 8. The face 136 "is spring-pressed towards the support 8- by acompression spring 138 (Figs. 12 and 18% mounted upon a rod 140extending througi 12) in the arm 132 an opening 142 into the frame, as

and screw threade shown at 144 (Fig. 12). meansof the screw threads, thepressure of the spring upon the arm 132 may be adjusted, the ends of thespring being confinedbetween the arm and the linurled head 146 upon therod -140. This construction permits a yielding action of the foldpresser upon the material,

while permitting a positive separatiomof the fold presser from the workbythe lmk 120. The double pivotal mounting of the fold presser and theyielding tension exthe folder is illustrated in Figs. 24 to 41'. v

The lower set of six figures diagrammatically represents the successivepositions, sixty degrees apart, occupled by the eccentrio 92 during thecourse of its cyle of movement in the direction of the arrow about thecentre of rotation 148 of the shaft 94. The.

upper set of six figures illustrates, in plan,

the positions correspondingly occupied by the operating elements and themiddle set of six figures are elevational views,*partly i in section, ofthe parts shown in the upper figures. Initially (Figs 24 and 25), thefeed point 6 is separated from the feed block 4 and the fold presser 10is inactive, the stock 2 being at this time retained in position uponthe support 8 by a retainer 232 hereinafter described. As the eccentricmoves vdownwardly and to the right from the position of Fig. 26 to' thatof Fig. 29, the support 76 is rocked about the pivotal rod 78 towardsthe right, carrying the feed point and the feed block with it towardsthe right, or in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 27. At the same time,the downward movement of the block 88 permits the spring t9 close thefeed point in towards the feed block. The feed block toward thepositions of Figs. 31 .and 34 to grip the stock, .and advance it to thefold presser. The fold presser, meantime, has commenced to rotate in thedirectionof the arrow to grip and press a fold in the advanced stock.When the eccentric ocoupies approximately the position shown in Figu35,the limit of rocking movement of the rocking support 76 is reached, justpreparatory to its return movement. At this moment, andfor a smallintervalof time directly preceding and directly following, the feedinginstrumentalities will be practically stationary. While they thus areidle or dwell, the fold'presser engages the work.

By reason of this timing of the parts, there A can be no continuedfeeding movement during the operation of the fold presser, and a sourceof wrinkling and bunchingof the folds is thus eliminated. Because ofthis.

dwell, furthermore, the feedpoint remains pressed down upon the workuntil after the .foldpresser has gripped it, the feed point thusretaining contro over the work until after the. fold presser has had anopportunity to relieve it of the necessity for such continued control.As the fold presser presses in further upon the fold, the feed pointrises and then starts to return, as illustrated in point continues toclose in upon the feed parts then assume positions illustrated in Figs.39, and 41, preparatory to a repetition of the above-described cycle ofoperations.

There is no great difficulty experienced .in properly timing theoperations of the feed elements and the fold presser for machinesoperated at low speed, because the desired result "can easily beobtained by the use of suitably designed, spring-controlled cams; butcams are impractical in highspeed maehines. According to the machine ofthe present invention, a very efficient high-speed machine is provided,with positive, all-lever connections, the elements of which operate inperfectly timed relation to one another.

The thirty degree inclination of the sliding block has been found inpractice to be very convenient, permitting the fold presser to roll overthrough an angle of approximately 30 degrees before the feed point israised, and serving also to increase the length of the dwell of thefeeding mechanism. Other angular inclinations of the sliding block willyield results of varying value, in-

fluencing the length of the dwell and the amount of lifting of the feedpoint.

As the vamp or other upper is advanced by the feed block and the feedpoint to the fold presser, its edge encounters a plow 200 (Figs. 5, 6, 8and 17) by which it is given an initial turn or fold during the forwardfeed movement. It is this initial fold that is later pressed down by thefold presser. The plow is provided with a vertical opening 202 (Fig. 6)whereby it may be horizontally pivotally mounted upon a in 204 (Figs. 5and 1f) projecting from tie feed block 4 upon the rocking support 76. isprovided with a tail 206 (Fig. 6) that is adapted normally, when therocking support 76 (Fig. 5) occupies its extreme righthand position, asviewed in Figs. 4 and 11, to be engaged by an adjustable stop 208 tomaintain the plow in the position shown in Fig. 8. As the rockingsupport is moved to the left (Fig. 4), and the feed point and the feedblock advance the vamp or other upper, the pivotal pin 204 is also movedin the same direction, along with the rock-. ing support, a compressionspring 210 (Fig.

8) that is mounted in a recess 212 engaging the tail to maintain it incontact with the stop 208., The body of the plow therefore,

pivots about the pivotal pin 204, with the' result that the edge of thevamp becomes folded, and the lower ortion of the folded edge becomesgripped etwee-n an upstanding portion 214 (Fig. 6) of the plow and theinterior side portion 216 of the feed- The plow point 6, as is shown inFigs. 19 and At the same time, or shortly thereafter, an inwardlyprojectingportion 218, standing out from the upstanding portion 214,engages the upper portion of the folded edge and folds it furtheragainst a rearwardly inclined face 220 0f the feed point 6. This furtherfolding effect is found to some degree in the above-mentionedapplication by (folding the edge against the rear face of the feedpoint. The spring 210 provides for a very desirable yielding effect, soas not to injure portions of the vamp of greater than ordinarythickness. so positioned, the vamp is advanced to the fold presser.

The fold presser is provided with a diagonally offset edge 222 (Figs. ,5and 24) under which the initial fold is positioned by the advancing feedbl0ck,-feed point and plow, and which operates immediately thereafter,while the feedinginstrumenttlities dwell, to pinch thematerial at thevery edge of the fold, shown at' 224 in Fig. 15. As the gage 32operates, in the first place, to control the dimensions of the edge 24ig.

WVith the parts 1 6), as the plow maintains these dimensions unchangedwhile folding the edge over upon the feed point 6, and as theplow, afterclos-v ing in upon the feed point, advances withthe feedinginstrumentalities to the very tip of the diagonal edge 222 of the foldpresser, this edge 222 will pinch the fold at exactly the desired point,at thevery edge 224 of the fold, and not to one side thereof. Hithertocreasers have sometimes been employed to crease out in advance the -lineof fold. Creasers are unreliable, however, because the material slips,so that the fold presser cannot be relied upon to press the fold alongthe previously creased line. The plow of the present applicationprevents slipping by holding the material firmly while it is pinched.The use of a creaser with allv its attendant defects and uncertainties,is thereforeeliminated. The present machine furthermore, is thus welladapted to the folding of all kinds of sheet for the folding and feedinginstrumentalil ties themselves determine the exact point at. which thefold .is made and the fold presser presses down the fold at exactly thatpredetermined point. V

The plow thus cooperates with the upper feed point to clamp the materialtherebetween and to advance it to the diagonally projecting edge of thefold presser. The very edge 224 of the fold is then pinched by thisportion of the fold presser, the remainder 226 (Fig. of the foldremaining at this time impressed. During the operation of the foldpresser, the feeding instru- -mentalities and the plow dwell for a time,

. in function is obtained in the present infold-presser edge 222.

stance by a redesign of the parts involving a shifting .farther to theright, as viewed in Fig. 8, of the pivotal pin 204 and suitableadjustment of the stop 208. By proper adjustment of the stop 208,indeed. it is possible to obtain a fold during the return movement ofthe plow, if such be desired. The forward feed movement is thenrepeated, the upper feed point and the plow 'co-' operating to formanother initial fold and to advance this new fold to the diagonal Thepreviously pinched fold is thus advanced by the next feeding movementunder the main portion 228 (Fig. 15) of, the fold presser, by the face1360f which the fold is pressed down. The working face 136 of the foldpresser is cylindrical or otherwise curved, as shown in Figs. 18 and 25.By means of this construction. andby reason of the doubly-pivotal,floating mounting of the fold presser, and the action thereon of thecylindrical bearing 130, the previously pinched portion,

at the very edge of the fold, will first be i drical' face 136 rollsthereover. This is a pressed, the remainder of thefold becomingprogressively ironed out inward as the cylinhind the working face 136,relie"es the strain commoirly encountered at places, such as seams,where the fold is of greater than uniform thickness and eliminates thepossibility of damage at these points, The attainment of this end isfurther aided by the fact that the edge of the fold is initially plnchedwhile the remainder 226 of the fold is yet unpressed, as explainedabove. .The portion of the face of 136 of the fold presser that engagesthe edge of the fold is cutaway, as shown at 231, Fig. 5 to provide anopening into which concave portions of the vamp advance, following thefolding operation. as shown in Fig. .19. The cutaway portion does notinterfere with the pressing down of the fold for the r ason that solittle of the vamp is advancd at any one feed movement that it may becompletely folded by the active portion of the face 136.

Another important feature oft-he present invention resides in the'methodof, and the mechanism for, controlling the turning of the material inits plane when curved portions of the work are operated upon. Ac-

cording to the present invention, the material can be turned neitherabout the fold presser as a pivot nor about the feed point. but onlyabout a point somewhat removed from the fold presser, and whichisdetermined by a retainer 232. shown in front elevation in Fig. 4.Furthermore, no turning otthe material is at all possible, even aboutthis point, except at predetermined moments, at which moments theretainer presses less heavily upon the material to peflnitsuch turning.The mechanism for accomplishing this result will now be described.

A reduced portion 233 (Figs. 9 and 12) of the retainer is looselymounted within a longitudinal groove in an end of a shaft 234' Figs. 3and '9) that is rockingly mounted in bearings 236 and 237. The retaineris yieldingly actuated towards the support 8 by a long spring 235 oneend 239 of which is secured to the shaft 234 at 2411 and the other; endof which is, secured to the re tainer.) A long spring produces a moreuniform tension upon the retainer than would a short stifi' spring, butis liable to lag'behind'the other operating mechanisms in a high-speedmachine. In order to prevent such lag, a shoulder. or abutme'nt 243 isprovided on the shaft 234. which an inter- .mediate :portion of thespring may engage during part of the cycle of movement of the retainer.The shoulder 243 operates to lift the spring and the retainer controlledthere by sooner than would otherwise be the case. so that the desirableeffects ofthe long spring are thus obtained with the properly timedmovement of a short. spring.-

A pin 238 is transversely, fixedly-secured to the other end of the shaftand is con: nected by a ball-and socket connection to a link 2 10 (Figs.3 and 10). .The other end of the link 240 is similarly connected by aball-and-socket connection to one arm of a bell-"crank lever242 that isivoted tothe frame of the machine at 244 Fig. 9). The

other arm of the bell-crank lever 242 is connected by a link 246 (Fig.10) to the pin 122 by which the link 120 (Fig. 9) is eccentricallyconnected to the gear 124. The retainer is'thus' operated in timedrelation to the folding and feeding instrumentalities through the gear126 that is mounted upon the shaft 94 (Fig. 10). 'As the gear 124 isrotated throughout a complete revolution to effect the operation of thefold presser through the pm 122 and the link 120, the bell-crank lever242 will cause the link 240 to rock about the pin 239 towards the left,as viewed in' Fig. 9, to and past the deadcentre point (Figs. 13 and14), and back to its original position. As the pivotal point 244 isfixed, the link 240 will be carried upward during its rocking movement,causing the pin 238 to rock the shaft 234. The shaft 234 will be rockedto its limiting position when the link 240 reaches the dead-centre point(Fig; 13), but owing to the resilient mounting of the retainer upon theshaft 234, the retainer will operate to press down upon the vamp in thedirection of the arrow, Figs. 34, 37 and 40, for a period of timepreceding and following the attainment of turn to their initialpositions.

the dead-centre point by the link 240. During this period, the foldpresser operates to press the fold, the feed point 6 thereupon rises torelease the work, and the fold presser and the feed elements start tore- As the link 240 passes beyond the dead-centre point, the retainerpresses a little less heavily upon the work, and at this moment, afterthe. fold presser has risen, and before the feed eleonents havecompletely returned to their starting points, the vamp may be turned inits plane, about the retainer as apivot. The link then again reaches thedead-centre point, on its return movement, causing the retainer againtogrip the vamp solidly before the feed point again grips the vamp. Thevamp is thus maintained firmly in position at the moment when it isgripped by the feed point, so that its displacement at such time isprevented. As the vamp edge is maintained at an angle, as shown in Fig;

40, the feed point in coming down, would tend to push the vamp away wereit not for the retainer. After the feed elements close in upon the vampto feed it forward again, the link 240 moves so as to release theretainer, so'that the feeding movement may commence again withoutinterference. By means of this construction, therefore, the retainerpresses hard upon the vamp, to prevent its being pushed outwardly,during the pressing down of the fold, but presses lightly at anothertime to permit the vamp to be turned. Not only is the retainer-thusadapted to press lightly and heavily when desired, but, by means of thedead-centre structure, it is rendered operative over a comparativelylong period of time.

The retainer thus serves the double function of preventin the work beingpushed outwardly away from the fold presser and of controlling theturning movement of the material in its plane.

A' hand and balance wheel 300 (Fig. 2) is keyed upon the outer end ofthe shaft 94 and is provided with a clutch face 302 that is adapted tobe frictionally engaged by a clutch face 304 of a loose drivingconepulley 306. The clutch faces 302 and 304 are normally separated by aspring 308 mounted within a pocket 310 of the pulley 306. The spring 308tends to maintain the pulley 306 against a stop shoulder upon a bearingcollar that is slidably mounted upon the shaft 94 according to awell-known construction. The pulley may be actuated towards the wheel300 to cause frictional engagement of the clutch faces by a bell-cranklever 60 pivoted at 314 and operable through a treadle (not shown)connected to the bellcrank lever 60 by a link 315. According to whetherthis'treadle is depressed more or less, the clutch faces will engagemore or less firmly, thus providing for varying the speed of themachine. Curved portions especially of the work, should be advanced byvery short feed steps, so that only a small portion of the edge may befolded at any one time, and a better approximation thereby attained to asmooth curved edge 1 without in any way afi'ectingthe accuracy ofoperation. Upon the release of the treadle,

the bell-crank lever 60 will be returned to its illustrated, ineffectiveposition (Fig. 2) by a compression spring 316 mounted upon the rod 317between a collar 318 at the bottom of the. rod and a shoulder 320 in apocket 322 of the bell-crank lever 60. The rod 317 is pivotally mountedin an abutment 319. At the same time, the spring 308 will separate theclutch faces 302 and 304, and a brake 324, that is also pivoted at 314.will be acted upon by a lug integral with the bell-crank lever 60 tostop the rotative movement of the clutch element 300 and the shaft 94.By virtue of this construction, furthermore, the pulley 306 and theclutch element 300 may be dismounted from the shaft 94, the pivotalbolts 36 may be loosened, and the support 8, which comprises a framehaving integral therewith a another. frame.

ItWill be noted that the' cutters 28 and 30 will" not be! removed withthe support 8.

The cutter is directly supported by thev frame 34 upon axbracket 29which may be secured to tl-ie: framebya bolt 31' and it may "beadjusteduPOnthe' bracket by means of,

a .slot-326' and-tscrew-328 connection (Figs.

4 and 8);,fiandtl1'e, cutter 28 is similarly ad-y j ust'ably'; mountedupon the end of an. arm

330;(Fig,,;2)that is. pivoted at 332 to,- and lies withing a hollowcurve-d, overhanging portionfof'fithe frame of, the machine and thatisfeccentri'cally connected by alink; 334

'to za gear;.336fmeshingflyvith the gear 126. "upon[theyshaftf 94. 1The; gear 336 is double therdia eterdf the, gear 126'sothat thecutterg28-may operate at half the speed of ftir n de rable,jespeciallywhen operating 1 1 should be separated from the feed block 4 s topermit, theginsertioniof thevamp above the feedflblock 4. Axpreferredconstruction sed; gvainps' that the f feed point 6 for fleetingthislresult isillustrat ed in Fig.

1-211i'lhejsupport -8 restsiipon the knurled head'338jof aflscrew'34Othat is screwedv into t he frame' ofithemachine and that may beadjuste'dup' or down to piv'otally raise or lowerthe; support about thepi'yotal bolts it .36";- LThe support is normally maintained. in "1i.lowe'st qpositionbylthe spring 52 acting i? throughfithe bell-cranklever44f upon the pinl40.'-- A- spring-pressed plunger 342 is;

' ada'ted to enter any one of avnumber of notcll es 344 to secure thescrew .340 in adjustedjrposition. 112.)irestsilightly upon an adjustablescrew 7 @348 thatvn i'ay be secured in adjusted position a, ef'u'pontheframe by a screw350and extends {A rod 346 (Figs. 2 and hrough an opening352; in the support 8 ksi i'gjjyerti callyi disposed in" an Opening;358; in]

. .'the rocking supportjidand rests upon the:

head "of the re 346. As theheightf of the 7 top of the" rod 356'.isdetermined by'the adjustment; of the 1 adjustable screw 348, "the feedipoint 6 will remain in its illustrated position (F ig. 2)independentlyof the ad 'justmentof the screw 340. The su JPOI't18', Jwith thej'ieed-block 4 carried thereby, thereforeibe lowered away from,and raised t0wa.rds,'the feed point 6 by rotation of the knurled head338 tojseparate the feed elements. and to bring them together, asdesired. 7

In practice, the support is adjusted so that gagement with the feed by alight'pressure maintained upon there hejmachine is'started, it is some-3 may 5 blockjthe blockfbfeing moved up into ensupp ort treadlefl m IIn. order that the interior; front of the machine may be exposed toView, the frame point, in operation,

should be open at the front. A separablev I cap; 362(Figs. 2 and4) isprovided which may be secured tothe frame ofthe machine by screws 364to'protect the parts enclosed therein. This construction is. referable to aan integral"fr'amelstriicture." T e top ofthe cap 362 is'visible in Fig..4 through a break in a table 366 that 'is'p'rovidedwith rearwardlyextending arms that straddle the frame of the machine and that arepivoted fat-368 upon an. axis at the far rear ofthe machine, so that]the table 366 may readily be pivot'ally lifted out of the way; whendesired; as indicated "by dotted lines in Fig.

1. "Th e position of the table'366may be adjusted by. means-"of-adj11stably threaded postsiupon iwhiclr itfrestS5 shownclearlyin i lThe operation ofthe'm'achine will readily be understood-from:thef'foregoing desc'rip ti0n,fbut maybeflsummarized briefly as $015 a.lowsf: It ma be assumed thatfthe feed elementsinitially occupytheirextreme position to the rigl1t, as viewed in Fig. 4, so that theplow; isinefiective and the retainer-and the fold-presser are.necessarily raised.'l' The partsgwill occu retainer, in Fig. T25,lias"not quite been raised.

,yjfthe ,relative positions p 1 shown -in-1Figs.; i 4-and 25. exceptthat the 3 andthe feed block 4. One of thetreadles may now 'beslightlydepressed tooperate the bell-crank 'lever 44 and thus raise thea :94 may be setinto operation by the. othelrf ftrea-dle, Whereuponthefeed elements will I -'ope'ni ng 354 in. the rocking support 17.6.

an epenin'gdn the rod 78. A rod- 356 f;

support 8 towards the feed point; The shaft grip the stock (Fig. 2 8)and will commence to move therewithtowards the left, as 'aviewedin Fig.4+ In order that the edge'ot the stockimay be maintained .in position"againstdisplacement or buckling just to the 32in: preparationfor'the-next gripping actiOn of thefeed elements. Prev'ioustothis Ygripping action, the edge, if concave; has

been snipped with Snips-of progressively varying length, as described,;through the further depression of the treadle (not vanced at one-side ofthe cutters 28 and30.

shown) that controls the support 8; if the edge is straight or convex,it has been ada 204 (Figs. 30 and 83) to grip the edge of the stock"between its face 214 and the inner side face of the feed point, and tofold the edge over upon the diagonally inclined face 220 of the feedpoint. Upon reaching the *end of the feed movement, the feed elementsand the plow dwell for a time (Fig. 33), during which the retaineroperates to clamp the vamp to the support (Fig. 34). Immediatelyfollowing upon this operation of the retainer, the diagonal edge 222 ofthe fold presser pinches at a-predetermined point the fold previouslyformed between the plow and the feed point and the working face 136 ofthe fold presser then irons out a previously pinched fold (Fig. 37).Just before the end of the fold-pressing operation, the feed element 6rises. The

fold presser, the feed elements and the plow commence returning towardstheir initial positions (Figs. 36, 3'7, 39 and 40). The vamp iscompletely released during such return movement. The retainer duringallthis period, presses down hard upon the vamp (Figs. 37 and 40) toprevent its being pushed outwardly away from the operatinginstrumentalities; Before the feed elements and the plow reach theirinitial position, the retainer rises just a little so as to exert someclamping effect upon thevamp, sufficient to maintain the vamp inposition, yet light enough to permit the operators turning the materialabout the retainer as a pivot. It becomes thus possible to turn the vampduring the time that the. fold presser and the feed elements areinoperative. The retainer then again presses down hard upon the vamp toprevent the feed point pushing the vamp away when closing in upon thefeed block. The feed elements once again grip the material (Fig. 28) inpreparation for a renewal of the above-described cycle, the retainerrises, and the feed elements move forward to advance the vamp again. Themachine may be stopped at will by releasing the treadle. (not shown)which controls the bell-crank lever 60.

In accordance with tliepresent invention, therefore, provision is madefor progressively snipping concave edges of the work with ships ofprogressively varying lengths according to a novel method and by farsuperior mechanisms. The customary crowding of the work at concave edgesand the consequent destruction of much valuable stock by inexperiencedoperators is obviat-- ed through the provision of an automaticallyvariable gage; The stock may thus be fed through the machine withcomparatively little attention on the part of the operator Theoperations are perfectly timed, the feed mechanism and the fold pressereach operating at its predetermined moment while the other is at rest,and the feed mechanism not letting go of the work until after it hascome under the control of the fold presser. The work is folded at theexact point desired, and not at some other point to the side thereof. Anovel retainer grips heavily at one time upon the work toprevent itsbeing pushed outwardly away from the operating instrumentalitles andlightly at another time to permit the work being easily turned at theconcave edges. The resulting fold is of a character unattainable withmachines at the present day in use.

It will be understood that the embodiment of the invention hereinbeforedescribed and which is shown in the drawings is illustrative purely andnot restrictive, and that modifications maybe made therein by theskilled artisan without departing from its spirit and scope as definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of treating flexible sheet material which comprisesadvancing the material in the plane of the sheet with the edge of thematerial bent out of said plane, relatively moving the edge of thematerial toward the plane of the sheet, and then cutting the edge of thematerial.

2. The method of treating-material which comprises advancing thematerial along a predetermined path, moving the material out of saidpath'when it is desired to cut the material, and cutting the material somoved out of said path to a degree dependent upon the degree ofdisplacement of the material from said path.

3. The method of treating material which comprises advancing the.material along a predetermined path, progressively moving the materialout of said path, and progressively cutting the material with cuts ofprogressively varying length dependent upon the degree of displacementof the material from said path. 1

4. The method of folding flexible sheet material which comprises feedingthe material in the plane of the sheet in a predetermined path of feed,folding portions of the material as' they are successively fed movingthe material to one side of the path at an angle to the said plane,snipping portions of the material so moved' rial' to a predeterminedpoint along either of two non-parallel paths of feed, snipping thematerial when it is advanced along one of the paths, and-folding thematerial vwhen it reaches the predetermined point.

6. The method of folding flexible material which comprises-advancing thematerial to a predetermined point along any a one of a plurality ofpredetermined paths,

snippingthe material to a degree dependent upon which of said pathsitoccupies, andfolding the material when it reaches the predeterminedpoint.

7; The method of foldingrflexible mate rial which comprises advancingthe material to'a predetermined point along a prev determined path,progressively moving the material out of said path, progressivelysnipping the material With snips of pro gressively varying; lengthdependent upon thedegree of displacement of the material J from saidpath, advancing the snipped,ma-"

terial to the predetermined point,vand fold- "ing the material when itreaehes tlie pre;

determined point.

y s. The method fr01dinib1eSheet material which comprisesadvancingthematerial in" theplane of the sheetrwith the edge of the material bentoutof said plane, fold-- ing the advanced edge of the material, rela tivelymoving the-unadvanced bent edge of the materialqtoward the plane of the,sheet,

snipping theinoved edge of the material, and

folding; the snipped (edge of the material.

9. The methodof folding flexiblefsheet material which comprisesadvancing the material in 'the plane of the-sheetwith the edge of thematerial bent out of said plane,

folding the advanced edge of the material,

progressively relatively moving the unadvanced bent edge of thematerialtoward th'e'plane of the sheet, progressively snipping the movededge of the material with snips of varying length dependent upon thedegreeof movement of the jbent edge.

toward theplane of the sheet, further ad,-

,{vancing.the material, and folding thead- I 'vanced snipped edge of thematerial.

lOaThe method of folding flexible ma 'terialthat comprises folding the,material, pinching the material at the edge and margin of the foldonly,and progressively en gaging the successive portions ofthe foldedmaterial from the edge of the fold inward to progressively press thesaid successive portions from'the edge of'the fold inward.

11.- The method of folding flexible ma terial, that comprises folding"successive portions of the material, pinching the successively foldedlportions of the material at the edge and margin of the fold only, and

progressively e'ngagingthe successive portions of the successivelyfolded portionsfrom the edge of the fold inward to progress vely pressthe said successive portions of the folded [the fold inward.

portions from the edge of the from theedge of the'folcl inward toprogressively iron the said successive portions portions from the edgeof 13. A machine of the class described having, infcombinatiou, a-cutterfor a piece of material that is adapted normally to be fed .in a normalpath to one side of the path of operationof the cutter so as not to becut by thecutter, means for operating the cutter in the said path ofoperation, a cooperating cutter situated in the said path of,operat1on-,1,and means for moving the material, while it isvfed,at"anangle to its normal path-of'feecLinto the said path 'of'operationof. thecutter, so asto permitits being cut by the cutters.

14; A machine of the class described having,.in combination, a supportfor a piece of flex ble material, a pro ect on, a cutter to the materialover the support with the edge of' the material engaging theprojectionso as to be bent therebv out of the path of the cutter, andmeans for moving the edge of the. material over the projection into thepath of the cutter.

. Y 15; A-machineiof the class describedhavpiece of flexible material, astationary proection, a'cutter to one side'of the projection, means, forfeeding the material-over the support with the edge of the material engaing the projection so as to bebent there y away from the cutter,,andmeans for moving the support so as to cause the edge of the material to,ride over the projection and into the path of the cutter. v

l 16. Aniachine of the class described having, in combination, a cutter,means for feedving material, a movable support for the material adaptedto move the material into the path-of the cutter, and means forsimultaneously adjusting the support and the feeding means. I v

17. A folding machine having, in combination, two cooperating cutters,means for operating one of the cutters in a path towards and. from theother cutter, a fold presser, means for feeding a piece of mate rial tothe fold presser along a path at one .side of the line along whichextends the path of operation of the said one cutter, and

[onesid ofthe projectiommeans for feeding ing,'in combination a movablesupport for a before it is folded.

19. A foldingmachine having, in combination, a movable support for apiece of flexible material, a fold presser, a cutter, a projectionadapted to be engaged by the edge of the material to cause the said edgeto be bent out of the path of the cutter, means for feeding the-materialover the support to the fold presser, and means for mov- 1ng the supportso as to cause the edge of the material to ride over the projection andinto the path of the cutter.

'QOQA folding machine having, in combination, a movable support for apiece of flexible material, a fold presser, a'continually operating,movable, snipping cutter, a stationary snipping cutter cooperatingtherewith having a portion adapted tobe engaged by the edge of, thematerial to cause the said edge to be bent out of the path of themovablecutter, means for feeding the -material over the support to the foldpresser, and means for progressively moving the support so as to causethe edge of the material to rideprogressively over said cutter portioninto the path of the movable cutter, whereby the edge of the materialmay be snipped with snips of varying length before it is folded.

2i. A folding machine having, in combination, a treadle actuated,progressively upwardly and downwardly moving support for a piece offlexible material, a fold presser, an upper, continually operating,movable snipping cnttcr,-a lower stationary snlpping .cutter cooperatingtherewith the lower portion of which is adapted to be engaged by theedge of the material to cause the said edge to be bent upwardly out ofthe path of the movable cutter. and means for feeding the material overthe support to the fold presser, the progressively upward and downwardmovement'of the support causing the edge of the material to rideprogressively over the stationary cutter into the path of the movablecutter, whereby the edge of the material may be snipped with snips ofprogressively increasing and decreasing length before it is folded.

. 22. A machine of the class described havmg, in combination-, a cutter,a variable gage, and means for varying the gaging action of. the gage inaccordance with the eferate upon the edge of a piece of material,

a variable gage adapted .to be engaged by the edge of the materiaL-andmeans whereby different portions of the gage may be rendered effectiveto variably gage edges of different conto'ur.

25. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a cutteradapted to operate'upon the curved or the straight edge of a piece. ofmaterial, a variable gage adapted to be engaged'by the edge of thematerial, and means whereby one portion of the gage maybe renderedeffective to gage straight or convex edges in one manner, and anotherportion of the gage may berendered effective to gage concaveedgesinanother manner. I

26. A folding machine having, in combi: nation, a fold presser, avariable gage,-means for advancing a sheetof material to the foldpresser with the edgeofthe material in engagement with the gage, andmeans Whereb different portions of the gage may be ren ered effective tovariably gage edges of different contour.

27. A folding machine having, in combination, a fold presser, acontinuously operating cutter, a variable gage, and means for advancin asheet of material out of the path of t e cutter to the fold presseralong one portion of the gage, and for advancing the -material to thefold presser alongv another portion of the gage in a path intersectingthe path of the cutter.

28. A machine of the class described having, iii-combination, a feedblock and a feed point for feeding material, and a single oscillativelyoperable, sliding means for operating both the feed block and the feedpoint. I

29; vA machine of theclass described having, in combination, means foroperating upon material, a feed block and a feed point for feeding thematerial to the operating means, and an eccentrically operable,diagonally sliding block for operating the feeding means.

,30. A folding machine having, in combination, a fold resser, a feedblock and a feed point for ceding material to the fold presser, and asliding block for operating the feed block and the feed point

